The boy band signed a deal with the soft drinks giant which will see them follow in the footsteps of stars including Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and David Beckham to promote the product.

The group – Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne – filmed the campaign at a New Orleans studio last weekend which will see them star alongside several leading American football stars.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “This is a huge deal for them in monetary terms — but even bigger for status as the coverage they’ll get from it is massive.

“They’re already stars across America, but this could catapult them to superstardom.”

“The boys were under strict instructions to stay quiet on this one and refrain from tweeting about their whereabouts.

“They flew to Tampa before boarding a private jet laid on by Pepsi to New Orleans where they met quarterback Drew Brees, who taught them the ropes on American football. Other football stars are in the ad too.”

One Direction are hugely popular in the US and are set to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Los Angeles Staples Center on Thursday (06.09.12).